Pump



Patented Oct. 17, 1939 PATENT OFFiCE PUMP Harry T. Swortwood and HenryG. Osburn,

Oklahoma City, Okla.

Application November 27, 1937, Serial No. 176,796

2 Claims.

The invention herein described is an improvement on United States PatentNo. 2,090,209, issued August 17, 1937, and relates to reciprocatingplunger type pumps, and more particularly to plungers for such pumps.With pumps of present design, when the plunger rings or leathers becomeworn, it is necessary to pull the plunger and either return it to thefactory for replacement of the sleeve, or send it to a machine shop forreplacement of the plunger sleeve, which replacement requires some threetofour hours labor, and actually means that the pump is out of operationfor a considerable period of time. The chief object of our invention isto obviate the above difficulty, by providing a plunger made in twoeasily separable parts so that the entire plunger may be withdrawn fromits barrel, the sleeve removed without the use of tools, and a newsleeve substituted, and the pump again placed in operation immediately.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a plunger whichincludes the advantages of an expansible sealing element.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a novel swivel arrangementbetween the sealing portion of the plunger and the operating stem, thuspermitting the use of a stiff socket tool joint for connecting theplunger to an operating rod or cable, thus preventing kinking of thecable, or torsional strain on a string of operating rods; a plungerwhich is so constructed as to provide unobstructed circulation of liquidthrough the plunger as it passes downward in its barrel; and one whichincludes a means for dislodging the plunger in case it becomes stuck inits barrel due to grains of sand lodging between the plunger and thebarrel.

Other objects of the invention will be fully and comprehensivelyunderstood from a consideration of the following detailed descriptionwhen read in connection with the accompanying drawing which forms a partof this application. The drawing is to be considered illustrative only.

, Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side sectional view of our plunger in position within apump barrel;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken along the line 33 of Figure l;and,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the lower portion of the plunger, andis hereinafter called the sleeve.-

Like characters of reference designate like parts in all the figures.

Our plunger consists of two main elements, the plunger sleeve or sealingmember, and the plunger operating stem, which are respectivelydesignated by the numerals 5 and 5. The upper end of the stem 6 is ofconsiderably smaller diameter than the interior diameter of the pumpbarrel 1, and is threaded to receive the lower end of a tool joint 35.

Intermediate its ends, the stem 6 is provided with a guide member 8,which in turn is provided with a plurality of spaced longitudinallyextending guides 9, I0, H and 12. The portion 8 is of less diameter thanthe interior of the pump barrel 1, as clearly shown in Figure 2, thuspermitting free circulation of fluid past the member 8 between theguides 9, 10, II and I2. The guides 9, 10, H and I2 serve to maintainthe stem 6 in a central position within the barrel 1 at all times, bytheir contact with the inner wall of the barrel.

At the opposite end of the guide member 8 the stem 6 is reduced indiameter for a short distance, as designated by the numeral I 3, andthis reduced portion I3 is provided at its extreme end with asubstantially cylindrical male swivel joint member I4, which is ofconsiderably larger diameter than the portion 13.

Within the upper end of the sleeve-like sealing member 5 is formed acomplemental swivel socket for receiving the male swivel member M. Thesocket, at its extreme upper end is only slightly larger in diameterthan the diameter of the portion l3, while therebelo-w, the

socket is enlarged to a diameter only slightly' larger than the diameterof the member 44. A side slot 15 communicating with a larger sideopening 36, together form a side entrance for the lower end of the steminto the upper end of the sleeve 5. A plurality of longitudinal slotsl6, l1, and i8 are provided in the Wall of the sleeve 5 adjacent thesocket in which the lock member I4 seats, to increase fluid circulationarea through the upper end of the sleeve. The upper end of the sleeve 5is also provided with longitudinally extending guides I9, 20, 2! and 22,which serve to centrally position the sleeve within the barrel 1.

Immediately below its socket end the sleeve 5 is provided with a ringgroove 23 within which is seated a sealing ring 2 which is of theexpansible type and is preferably of metal. If desired, a plurality ofthese grooves and rings may be used without changing the principle ofour invention. A plurality of fluid passages 25 and 26 are provided inthe wall of the sleeve 5, some of which passages communicate with theupper end of the ring groove, and some communicate with the lower end ofthe ring groove. The groove being Wider than the ring, permits the ringa limited slidable movement therein. As the entire plunger is drawnupward in the barrel, and fluid is lifted above it, the ring slides tothe position shown in Figure 1. The fluid passages 25 then permit fluidto tightly seal the space in the groove immediately above the ring, andthe fluid passages 26 permit fluid to contact the inner surface of thering, expanding it and forcing it tightly against the inner wall of thebarrel 1.

The central bore 21 of the sleeve 5 communicates at its upper end withthe swivel socket, and intermediate its ends is reduced abruptly at 28,the reduced bore continuing to the extreme lower end of the sleeve 5.The shoulder at 28 is formed to receive a removable valve seat 29 whichmay be tightly pressed into position, or otherwise suitably secured in aposition concentric with the bore. This shoulder must necessarily belocated at a point below the lowermost ring if it is desired to use aplurality of sealing rings.

The seat 29 seats a ball valve 39 which tightly seals the central borethrough the plunger during its upward stroke. Below the ring groove 23,the sleeve 5 may be of any suitable design, but we prefer to make it ofsubstantially the same diameter as the interior diameter of the barrel 1and provide it with a plurality of grooves 3!, 32, 33, and 34.

It will be clearly seen that when the male swivel member I4 is insertedthrough the slot I5 and the side opening 36 into the socket in the upperend of the sleeve 5, and the complete, plunger is placed within thebarrel l, the stem and the sleeve are held by their respective guidesagainst relative radial movement, and it is, therefore, impossible forthese two members to become disconnected. In case it is desired toreplace the sleeve the entire plunger is simply withdrawn from thebarrel, at which time the locking element l4 and its stem i3 may bewithdrawn through the side opening from the socket in the upper end ofthe sleeve 5, and a new sleeve substituted in the same manner, as abovedescribed.

Operation In operation, the plunger is adapted to be reciprocated withinthe barrel by means of a string of sucker rods or by a cable, either ofwhich may be connected to the upper end of the stem 5 by means of ausual tool joint 35. As the plunger is drawn upward the barrel, thevalve 3i] seats on its seat 29 and fluid is drawn in through anysuitable valve (not shown) in the lower end of the barrel i. When theupward motion of the plunger ceases, the fluid drawn into the barrelduring the upward motion is trapped by the valve through which itenters, and as the plunger moves downward the trapped fluid passesupward through the central bore of the sleeve, lifts the valve 38 fromits seat, passes on upward through the swivel socket, out through theslots IE5, 5-7, and 13 in the wall of the socket connection, upward pastthe guide member 8 through the space between its guides 9,. M, H and i2,and on up into the production tubing which communicates with the upperend of the barrel I. On each upward stroke the plunger must lift theweight of the fluid above it in the barrel and in the production tubing.At a considerable depth beneath the surface of the earth the weight ofthe fluid lifted by the plunger on each up stroke is considerable, andas has previously been mentioned, the full weight of the fluid isutilized to expand the ring 2 5 tightly against the barrel walls. Thisarrangement takes care of wear on the outer surface of the ring 24. Asthat surface Wears off the ring is simply expanded a slightly greaterdegree by the weight of the fluid above it, and continues to maintain atight seat against the barrel wall during the up stroke of the plungerregardless of its wear.

We also wish to call attention to the fact that the swivel socket may beof somewhat greater length than the length of the male swivel member M,which arrangement permits relative longitudinal movement between themembers 5 and 6. Should sand or other foreign matter lodge between thesleeve and the barrel wall, "sticking the sleeve, the operating stem canbe used as a hammer to dislodge the sleeve.

While we have described and illustrated a speoiflc embodiment of ourinvention, we are aware that numerous alterations and changes may bemade therein and we do not wish to be limited except by the prior artand the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. The combination with a cylindrical pump barrel, of a plunger adaptedto be reciprocated therein, said plunger comprising: a sleeve memberhaving a swivel socket formed in its upper end, said socket having a topopening and a larger side opening, the socket being of greater diameteradjacent the side opening than the diameter of said top opening; asealing ring carried exteriorly by said sleeve intermediate its ends forsealing against the wall of the barrel; a fluid operable ball checkvalve positioned to normally close the central bore of said sleevemember; and an operating stem, its upper end adapted for connection toan operating cable or rod, and including an intermediate guide memberfor maintaining the stem in a central position within the barrel, and amale swivel member for complementally fitting within the socket in theupper end of said sleeve to con nect the sleeve and stem together,whereby the sleeve and its stem are permitted relative rotational andlimited relative longitudinal movement, the barrel wall preventingrelative radial movement.

2. The combination with a pump barrel, of a plunger adapted to bereciprocated therein, said plunger comprising; a sleeve having an opensided swivel chamber adjacent one of its ends and a bore of relativelysmaller diameter in that end communicating with said swivel chamber; anannular ring groove formed in the exterior wall of the sleeve; anexpansion ring seated in said ring groove for sealing against the barrelwall; a fluid operable ball check valve positioned within said sleevebelow said swivel chamber; integral guides carried externally by thesleeve for keeping the sleeve in a central position within the barrel;an operating stem, one end of which is of a size and shape tocomplementally fit within said swivel chamber and to enter said chamberthrough its open side, and the other end of which is adapted forconnection to a plunger operating line; and integral guides carried bythe stem for contacting the barrel wall and keeping the stem in acentral position therein.

HARRY T. SWORTWOOD. HENRY G. OSBURN.

